Bryony Shaw

Bryony Shaw became the first ever British Medallist in Women’s Windsurfing at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and now has her sights firmly set on winning Gold at the London Games in 2012. Sportsvibe caught up with Bryony who is currently training in Valencia and trying to avoid the miserable British weather.

How did you first get involved in windsurfing?

I first started when I was nine years of age and we went on family holidays to the south of France. There was the option of giving it a go and as the weather was absolutely perfect I thought I would try it, luckily I loved it straight away.

What’s the best thing about being a professional windsurfer?

I would probably say the lifestyle as you get to travel the world and do what you love. Plus I am a really competitive person so I love being able to improve and compete. Of course there are some negatives in that you are away from home and you miss your friends and family but most of it is positive.

You went to the Olympics in Beijing, how did you find the experience?

It is something completely unique, it’s on another level of excitement and going there with the British sailing team was great. They have a real pedigree and have had plenty of success with names like Ben Ainslie and Iain Percy so travelling with them was great. I knew them before but being there and having them as a support team was really helpful. They gave me plenty of encouragement which definitely helped lift my game.

What was it like being part of the Olympic village with all the other athletes?

As often happens with the sailing team we have to be based near the water so if the main city is inland we have our own little mini Olympics going on, which was the case in Beijing. It will be the same in England as well as the sailing will take place in Weymouth, so we are away from the other sports. Having said that, on the final day in Beijing when the closing ceremony was taking place it was really cool as I was with the cycling girls who were real heroes in my eyes. I had followed them throughout and knew of their success. When I found out that I was going to be sharing a room with the cycling girls, Victoria Pendleton and Shanaze Reade, I was really excited and it was really cool to meet them.

How did you celebrate winning your bronze medal?

My boyfriend flew in for the final day of racing so he came over which was a really special moment. My Mum and Dad were also there so it was a really good moment to share with them, especially when they all got to see me go up on the podium. I went out to celebrate afterwards but it just can’t compare with the feeling I got just after winning and when I was up on the podium, which was very special.

How much are you looking forward to the 2012 Games?

I am aiming to try and win Gold as it would be absolutely massive. At the minute I can’t really get my head round it and understand just how big it’s going to be as I am still in my daily routine and working on my present goals. But it will come around so quickly, I don’t want to be coming away from those games disappointed so I am going to be putting in a lot of effort.

Do you think having a home crowd will help spur you on?

My parents live in Weymouth and I lived with them for a while, so Weymouth is kind of a home town for me as I spent quite a few years there. I am hoping I get plenty of support as the sailing community down there are really supportive. All the locals are great as well as they have been getting on bard and giving me loads of encouragement.

You get to do quite a lot of travelling, where is your favourite place to windsurf?

 I was lucky enough to go to New Zealand which was really good. I was based near Auckland but I also got to go surfing down the coast which is great as obviously it’s a great climate out there. I would love to go to Mauritius and Morocco as well. Morocco is obviously a lot more accessible so I would really like to go there.

Training in the freezing cold English winters can’t be much fun, do you wish you had grown up somewhere a bit warmer?

When I was younger and I first got into the sport I did a lot of training in the cold weather but that was mainly because it was costly to go abroad, so I have definitely done my time in the cold weather. Currently I am in Valencia and trying to avoid the cold, but it has been quite frosty out here. It’s been an unpredictable winter and they have actually had a lot of cold spells throughout France and Spain but I try and chase the sun.

Can you tell us about your training schedule?

I spend a lot of time on the water doing the windsurfing itself, but there is also a lot of land based training involved as well. I do a lot of road cycling which helps the base level fitness. I try to get the hours in on the bike, so a good 2-3 hours at a steady speed and heart rate. But if the weather is bad then we can do it in the gym and use the cycles, tread mills, cross trainers and rowers. Then before a big event we will ramp up the training and start to do high intensity interval and explosive training, but you can’t do that more than twice a year, so that will be around major World Championships and Olympic trials. I will also do quite a lot of power lifting which can be pretty hard.

When you’re training do you listen to music to pump yourself up?

Yeah all the time, I put together upbeat playlists to keep myself going and quite often I will be singing in my head. When I go out on the water I will actually be singing a tune like Beyonce to keep me nice and relaxed and happy. I also make chilled out playlists to listen to in the car so I am always humming a tune. Also when you are trying to get yourself motivated in the gym for all that hard work then its good to get some real up beat stuff going.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Whenever I get free time I am at home spending as much time as possible with friends. A lot of the time my training in the UK will take me to Weymouth, so I get to catch up with my parents and see them which is really important as I spend a lot of time travelling. But most of the time I spend in my new flat, I love doing all the interior decorating and DIY stuff, I am actually quite in to all that sort of stuff.  I have even been stripping the floorboards.

You once received hate mail when you inadvertently swore on live TV after winning the Bronze medal, that must have been quite surreal?

To be fair there was only one, it was bizarre as it was hand typed and it was saying that he was watching it with his granddaughter and it was inappropriate and that I should be a role model. Obviously my immediate reaction when I did it was to apologise as it was a bad time of morning but it was just the emotion of the occasion. I heard that Hazel Irvine was in absolute stitches in the presentation box and Adrian Chiles was trying to briskly move on.

Why would you suggest people try windsurfing?

Windsurfing comes across as inaccessible but actually there are so many centres out there, it’s great to learn inland on a lake or reservoir. There are centres across England which provide a safe environment where you can get instructions and have a laugh with your friends. I did it with my school and we went to the local reservoir, some of the kids went sailing but I already knew that I loved windsurfing. It’s just great to be out on the water and having a laugh as that’s what it’s all about.




Bryony is a sporting ambassador for Fat Face clothing company.

www.fatface.com